Distance Learning: Its Origins, Evolution, and Future

Distance learning means different things to different people, depending on their personal and professional experiences and the industry or segment in which they reside. I first became acquainted with distance learning as a corporate professional in 1993, when I created my first online course to be delivered to adult students via the Internet. My personal definition of “distance learning” has always revolved primarily around the concept of delivering learning online, via the Internet. My definition was rather vague and narrow. I knew, of course, that there were other forms of distance learning, such as CD-ROM based education, and going further back in time, the old mail-order education programs known as “correspondence schools.” But these earlier forms of “distance learning” were outside my experience, both personally and professionally. For me, distance learning began with the Internet. From Dr. Michael Simonson’s video presentation, I learned that an academic definition of “distance education” is more structured and more detailed (Laureate Education, 2010).

After exposure to the history of distance learning in our course and our initial reading assignments, I now have a much more complete definition of distance learning. Distance learning has been around far longer than I had realized, with its inception in the early 1830’s when European newspapers first offered educational opportunities to the public (Laureate Education, 2010). The concept of “distance learning” has been around for nearly a century in a variety of guises, and it far predates the advent of modern Internet technology. From the early correspondence courses starting in the early 1830’s; to universities in the U.S. offering education via the postal service; to education being offered via radio, television, and telephone in the early to mid 1900’s; and finally to the advent of the Internet, distance learning has evolved and grown just as technology has. Distance learning has always been enabled by technology, from its earliest and simplest forms (postal mail, newspapers) to more advanced technologies (radio, television, telephone) to the advancements that we enjoy today (the Internet).

Based on the new information that I have absorbed in the outset of our course, I have revised my definition of distance learning to include a far broader and more comprehensive picture.  I now have a better understanding of the timeline of distance learning and its evolution over the decades. Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek (2012) offer a detailed definition of distance learning that takes into account four components. According to the authors, distance learning is defined as institutionally based, having a separation of the teacher and student, featuring interactive telecommunications, and finally the including the interconnection of learners, resources, and instructors (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek (2012). Their definition of distance learning is far more comprehensive and detailed than mine, and that leads me to want to revise my own definition.

Based on what I have read thus far, I would revise my own definition of distance learning to be more inclusive of all types of distance learning and to be more structured. My new definition of distance learning includes the following:

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• Distance learning utilizes technology (from simple to more advanced) to deliver learning opportunities to students in nontraditional ways.
• Distance learning offers educational opportunities to students outside of the traditional face-to-face classroom setting.
• In distance learning, the instructor and students are not located together in the same classroom. Instead, they interact with each other from their respective locations, using available technologies to enable the learning.
• Distance learning can be synchronous or asynchronous, or a combination of the two.
• Distance learning takes advantages of current and emerging technologies to deliver rich and engaging content to students of all ages.

Distance learning will continue to evolve as new technologies emerge, enabling even better ways for students and instructors to connect and interact in learning environments. New and emerging “Web 2.0” technologies will raise the bar for distance learning, as more and more functionality is put in the hands of students and teachers. The future of distance learning revolves around providing students with more and more capabilities in managing their own learning. As the Distance Learning Timeline Continuum illustrates, wikis, blogs, podcasts, and multimedia applications continue to make it easier for students to create their own content (Laureate Education, 2010). Students have always been consumers of content, but as Web 2.0 technologies continue to evolve, students will more and more become the creators of content, as well as consumers. Dr. Michael Simonson predicts that distance education will continue to grow (Laureate Education, 2010). As distance learning becomes more accepted and more respected, more and more students will turn to it as a more convenient way to further their education. Distance learning is not for everyone; some students prefer a face-to-face, interpersonal experience with their instructors and peer students. But for other students, such as myself, distance learning provides the optimal mode for pursuing education.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Distance Education: The Next Generation [DVD]. Baltimore, MD.  Dr. Michael Simonson.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Distance Learning Timeline Continuum [DVD]. Baltimore, MD.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.